In the preparation of pigmented paints and coatings, the pigments and fillers must be dispersed in organic or aqueous media. The agglomerates of the primary pigment granule have to be broken down before the pigments can be properly dispersed. The organic pigment and filler materials are then mechanically dispersed by means such as kneaders, or mills such as a rolling mill or ball mill. Because of the expenditures of time and energy involved, dispersing represents a considerable cost factor. In order to cut time costs for this unit operation, the pigments and fillers are pre-treated with organic dispersant adjutavant compounds to lower the surface tension between the solid particles and the organic or aqueous medium and thereby to ease dispersion. The action of the organic compound should be limited, as much as possible, to improving the dispersion without negative side effects on the ultimate product, the paint or the lacquer. U.S. Pat. No. 1,722,177 teaches treating inorganic pigments and fillers with stearic acid or resin acids and their alkali or ammonium soaps in order to improve their dispersibility. French Pat. No. 1,276,739 teaches the use of triethanolamine and its salts for the same purpose. Aliphatic amines have also been proposed as means for the improvement of the dispersibility of inorganic pigments and fillers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,276 teaches the use of salts of tertiary and/or quaternary aminealkylene oxide- adducts of mono or dimeric fatty acids.
In the selection of such dispersing adjuvants, it must be considered that many of these additives are products alien to the paint and lacquer media which may, aside from the desired dispersing effect, have also undesirable properties upon water solubility and emulsifying power. Many of these products may cause disturbing side effects such as the loss of gloss of the final coating or the delay of drying during the formation of the films.